1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus having a removable card possessing a wireless communication function, and to a method of controlling this apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-100103 (Document 1) discloses a memory card having a wireless communication function (the card will be referred to as a “wireless card” below), the card having a shape the same as that of the usual memory card. The wireless card transfers a file, which has been recorded in a memory area of the card, to a previously set apparatus automatically through wireless communication. There is a possibility that a plurality of wireless cards will be inserted into an apparatus having multiple card slots. If a plurality of wireless cards that rely upon the same wireless communication scheme are inserted, radio interference occurs among the cards and communication efficiency undergoes a marked decline. In order to deal with this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,008 (Document 2) discloses a method of switching wireless communication means in accordance with priority in cases where a plurality of wireless communication functions are used simultaneously. Priority in this case is based upon communication overhead, amount of data and power consumption, etc.
In an apparatus previously equipped with a plurality of wireless communication functions, it is possible to set the priority of each wireless communication function beforehand, as described in Document 2. However, since a wireless card has communication means, the apparatus on the host side cannot use the wireless communication function of that card until the wireless card is inserted. This means that priority cannot be set in advance. In other words, it is necessary to set priorities or restrictions relating to wireless communication in accordance with the status of wireless card insertion.